OSLO, July 12 (Reuters) - Shell will join a project
in Norway to produce hydrogen from natural gas while capturing
the emissions, Aker Clean Hydrogen (ACH) <ACH-ME.OL> said on
Monday.
Countries across Europe are looking at ways to produce
emissions-free hydrogen to help reduce carbon emissions and
avert global warming.
Clean hydrogen can be produced from water using electricity
generated by renewable energy sources.
When produced from natural gas, it is considered clean when
the associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are captured and
stored permanently. Today, most of the associated CO2 emissions
are released into the atmosphere.
Partners ACH, Shell and Norwegian infrastructure investor
CapeOmega have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to
build a large-scale hydrogen production facility at Aukra in
western Norway, ACH said.
The clean hydrogen could be used to decarbonise local
industries, for emissions-free fuel for vehicles and ships, or
for export to Europe, ACH said.
Natural gas for the project would be supplied from the
Nyhamna gas processing plant nearby, it added.
Shell serves as a technical service provider at the Nyhamna
plant, which processes natural gas its Ormen Lange field and
Equinor's Aasta Hansteen field off Norway.
The Anglo-Dutch energy firm, which aims to reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, is also a partner
in a joint venture project with Equinor and TotalEnergies
to build CO2 storage off Norway.
(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; editing by Victoria Klesty and
Jason Neely)